Occisor ab Castimonia
by Rizzling
Summary: The Scoobies take a sailing holiday but when you're a part of the Scooby Gang, nothing EVER goes to plan! *CAUTION* Contains some violence that might make you cringe. Overall suitable for everyone with a few M moments, mainly violent ones.
1. Chapter 1

The Scoobies sat around the large round table in the Magic Box, each one idly flipping through a large book or magazine. Buffy emerged from the training room, her toned and tanned skin glistening with a light coat of sweat. "Still no Giles then?!" she said as she scanned the large shop for their friend. Willow shook her head, Giles had left the shop almost three hours ago claiming he was popping out to fetch something and wouldn't be long.

Buffy strode to the front door, pulling it open forcefully and staring out into the quiet street. Still no sign of her Watcher. Turning back to the group she sighed deeply. "Well where is he then?" she asked.

"I'm sure he's fine!" Tara replied slowly, forcing a smile.

"Yeah Buff, he's probably just stuck in traffic." Xander added, grinning at his friend.

Buffy smiled weakly and sat down heavily on the bench. Surveying the array of books on the table, she frowned. "What's with the researchy?" she asked, looking to Willow for an explanation. It had been horribly quiet on the demon and vampire front and she had encountered nothing that would warrant the amount of research that appeared to be being done.

"It's not research." Willow told her, "I just want to keep up to date on my demon knowing." Willow finished, dropping her head as the Slayer rolled her eyes.

The telephone began ringing and the Scoobies looked at it quizzically before Buffy volunteered to answer it. "Good afternoon, Magic Box, your one stop shop for all your occult needs." she answered cheerfully. Buffy frowned as the voice on the other end began speaking. "Oh!" she said in surprise, reaching out for a pad of paper and a pen. "Oh, ok. I will tell him." Buffy said, the surprise still clear in her voice and causing the other Scoobies to look up at her hopefully.

"Thank you." Buffy finished before returning the handset to its cradle.

Rubbing her head thoughtfully, she returned to the group, sitting heavily on the hard wooden stool.

"Buffy?" Willow asked, rising to her feet and crossing to her best friend. "Is everything ok?" she rested her hand gently on the Slayers shoulder.

Buffy nodded, "I need to talk to Giles first." she said, looking up at Willow with pleading eyes. Willow just nodded, she understood what Buffy had meant and although she wanted to know what had shaken the usually calm and composed Slayer so, she returned to her seat, figuring that they would all be told when they needed to be.

Suddenly the front door jangled open and Giles appeared in its doorway, his hands full of carrier bags. The poor man looking stressed and tired. "I hate that bloody mall!" he announced as he crossed to the group.

After storing the bags behind the counter, Giles returned to the table. "I have a surprise for you all." he told them before anyone had a chance to speak.

"A good surprise?" Xander asked cautiously. After living on the Hellmouth for so long, he was used to his surprises being of the kind that would prefer to kill you than buy you ice cream.

Giles smiled, "Yes Xander. A good surprise." he told him as he took a seat at the table. From his pocket, he pulled a large book of papers and the gang immediately recognised it as the kind that usually had tickets in from a travel agent. "I have a friend who had a large boat." he told the group, "And since it's been quiet on the supernatural front, I thought we could all do with a break." he told them.

The Scoobies grinned, it had been a while since any of them had had a holiday and in all their time together, they had never had a real holiday as a group.

"And so I have borrowed the boat and we are going sailing." he finished, his face spread into a huge grin.

The group contemplated the information slowly. "That's very kind Mr. Giles." Tara said, crossing the room to hug the older man thankfully.

"Yeah G-man," Xander spoke next, "It sounds cool." Since Anya had opted to spend the summer with Halfrek, he was at a loose end and glad for something new to do.

"It sounds new and exciting." Buffy agreed.

Giles grinned and breathed a sigh of relief. "It should be fun, there are so many new things to learn on a boat." he told them. "It will be hard work but you will all learn so many exciting new skills." he finished as the others groaned.

Willow was the first to catch on to what he meant. "So there's no crew, just us?" she asked, hoping that she would be wrong. The others looked from her then to Giles who was still grinning and now shaking his head slowly. "We are the crew." he told them all.

After much mock complaining and an hour of Giles explaining why it was going to be a good experience, the Scoobies relaxed into the idea. They may mock him and wind him up regularly, but this trip sounded like it could be a good time. As Willow, Tara and Xander chatted about the holiday and went over the documents that Giles had brought back with him, Buffy ushered Giles into the training room.

"When you were out," she began, "A guy called Robson called." Giles smiled, Brian Robson had been one of his closest friends while he was employed by the Watchers Council, and even though it had been many years since he had been relieved of his official Watchers duties, he still kept in regular contact with the man

"He said there is a new Slayer." Buffy said plainly.

Giles mouth hung open suddenly, "So Faith…." he gasped. Despite the other Slayers attitude and cross over to the dark side, Giles still had hope that she could have been helped.

"She's dead." Buffy said, she immediately rolled her eyes at the obviousness of her statement. "No one has seen her since this new Slayer arrived on the scene." she added. They knew that the Watchers Council had been keeping a close eye on the dark Slayer and had managed to do so surprisingly successfully. Giles hung his head, he felt as though he had somehow failed the younger Slayer.

They sat together in silence, mourning a mixture of failure and loss. Giles sat up suddenly, polishing his glasses on a handkerchief. "So the new Slayer?" he asked, "Where is she?" Buffy smiled weakly.

"The Council feel that it would be a good learning experience for her to come here with her new Watcher." she told him. "They will be here in a week."

Giles grinned, making Buffy frown at the unexpected expression. "Excellent." he said, rising to his feet and crossing back to the door that lead to the main body of the shop. "She'll be here to keep things in line while we are away." he told her before stepping into the main shop and leaving Buffy to contemplate the idea he had presented.

As he emerged into the shop, Willow, Tara and Xander were all singing and dancing around the store, "Hey, we're going Miami!" He chortled quietly; they had obviously been through the documentation and had learnt that his friend's boat was moored over in a port in Miami. The paperwork he had brought with him had the tickets for their flights in it. He had been lucky enough to find a deal where he could get tickets for all 5 of them without breaking the bank and with Dawn away with Janice and her family for the summer, it seemed a good time to go.

Buffy emerged from the training room when she heard the singing. "We're going to Miami?" she asked as she reached Giles' side.

"Yes, my friend lives out there so naturally his boat is there too." he told her.

"What about Faith?" Buffy whispered, she hated to be the one to give the Scoobies bad news when they were obviously so upbeat but they had a right to know. When Faith awakened from her coma and attacked them, they had managed to fight her off but she had left town without a trace. They were all aware that the Watchers Council were keeping an eye on her, but they couldn't trust them to control her. Secretly, each Scooby worried that she may return to Sunnydale one day to finish what she started.

Looking down at his young charge, Giles saw concern in Buffy's face. He knew that she felt she would have to tell them and nothing he could say would change her mind. Taking the lead, he approached the others. "I have something to tell you all." he announced, causing them to stop in their makeshift celebrations and turn in his direction. "It's about Faith."

Willow and Tara sat heavily, Willow instinctively grabbing onto Tara's hand for comfort. Of all the Scoobies, it was she who held the most nervousness towards the woman who had previously been considered a friend to them all.

"Is she here?" Willow blurted out, her nervousness hadn't been dulled over time and she still had very little control over it.

Giles shook his head, "No Willow, she's not here." he told the redhead sadly, "I'm afraid that Faith is no longer with us at all."

Tara bowed her head respectfully, she had met Faith only once before and although it wasn't an entirely pleasurable experience, she still felt sadness at the death of a fellow human being.

Xander looked up from his comic, "You mean she's dead?" he asked, finally catching on to what the older man had implied. Giles nodded and wiped his eyes with a handkerchief.

"How?" Willow asked after a long and uncomfortable silence. Giles looked to Buffy for the answer, she had told him the information but not the details. The Slayer shrugged, Robson hadn't told her how or where the dark Slayer had been when she met her death.

"We don't know!" Buffy told the group, making Xander jump. In all the excitement of the holiday plans and now this revelation, he had forgotten she was there at all.

The group fell silent, each ones mind filling with memories of Faith, some good but most bad. Under the table, Tara squeezed Willows hand. Xander seemed to be taking this the worst, at least on the outside. It had been his sleeping with Faith that had put the largest split between the Dark Slayer and Willow.

Back when Faith had first arrived, all the Scoobies had tried their best to make her feel at home. Faith had taken full advantage of this and although she never really opened up, she helped herself to their hospitality and then thrown it all back in their faces. At least that's how Willow saw it.

After two or three minutes of silence, Willow took to her feet. "I think I'd like to go home." she said quietly, looking to Tara for support.

"Yeah, me too." Xander added, thankful for once that Anya wouldn't be at home, waiting for him.

"Well yes, maybe we should all take some time on our own." Giles finished as Willow, Tara and Xander gathered up their belongings.

"We'll meet back here tomorrow, organise holiday plans?" Buffy offered, her voice revealing her upset at the loss of the other Slayer.

At the door, Tara paused; "O-ok Buffy, we'll see you tomorrow!" the blonde witch offered before being semi dragged by Willow into the afternoon sunshine.


	2. Chapter 2

Tara was the first to awaken the next morning, the sunlight streaming through the window always had the uncanny knack of reflecting from the small mirror above the sink and directly into her face.

Bringing a fist to her face, she wiped the sleep from her eyes forcefully. Carefully, she rolled over to face Willow, the redhead was still sleeping peacefully, her chest rising and falling evenly.

Allowing herself a guilty moment to watch her lover sleep, Tara smiled. Her mind filled with the memory of the one time she had met Faith.

*****FLASHBACK*****

The Bronze, it was crowded and people were dancing and generally having a good time. Willow had taken her there for the first time and her hand had reached out for Tara's as they moved through the crowd. Willow had seen Buffy amidst a large group of people and had introduced her. Almost immediately, Tara knew there was something unusual about Willows friend but chose to keep quiet about it. As it turns out, Faith had somehow swapped bodies with Buffy and Tara had told Willow of this after they had returned to her dorm room.

Together they had cast a spell that had transported Willow to the 'Nether Realm' where she had learnt the truth, not only about Buffy and Faith's body swap, but of her own sexuality. After they had recovered from their magical experience, they had gone over to Giles' where Tara had met Faith's body, with Buffy's spirit in it. It had been a generally surreal and odd afternoon.

***** END FLASHBACK*****

Tara managed to refocus her eyes on the room around her and saw Willows emerald eyes sparkling back up at her. "Morning." the blonde said sheepishly, slightly embarrassed about being caught so much off her guard. Willow beamed at her knowingly, from the flush in Tara's face, Willow could tell that she had been thinking about something a little more sexually charged than breakfast.

"Whatcha thinking about?" Willow asked, her voice husky with sleep. Tara's eyes filled suddenly with sadness, she had been originally thinking of Faith but somehow she had managed to turn that thought into her first sexual experience with Willow. "Faith… kinda." Tara replied, her cheeks burning slightly.

Willow sat up, her eyes darting around as if at any moment she expected the dark Slayer to burst into the room.

Snuggling in close to the suddenly nervous redhead, Tara wrapped her arms around her waist, kissing her neck softly. "It's ok Will. I'll always look after you!" Tara whispered. In Tara's arms, Willow knew she was safe.

"I know baby." Willow replied softly.

"Willow? Tara?" Buffy's voice burst into their quiet snuggle time, "Are you up yet?" It was clear from the volume of her voice that she was stood outside the door. Willow and Tara shared a grin, Buffy had walked in on them in the throws of passion more than once, so her reluctance to enter the room without giving them plenty of warning was understandable.

"Willow?" Buffy called again, knocking loudly on the door.

"Come in Buffy!" Tara told her with a giggle. Almost as soon as the words were out, the blonde Slayer was in the room and bouncing on the end of the bed like a small child at Christmas. If Buffy had been upset about Faiths death, then she had clearly gotten over it and was obviously looking forward to their trip. "Morning ladies!" she beamed as she settled down and regarded them with a childlike innocence.

Buffy never failed to be surprised by how much her heart filled when she saw Willow and Tara wrapped up in each other, the love they shared was clearly meant to be and she could only hope that one day she would be so lucky.

"Good morning Buffy." Tara said, snapping the Slayer back to reality. Willow mumbled her pleasantries as she got up and went to the bathroom.

"Giles called." Buffy said, a little too loudly for Tara but so that Willow could also hear. "He wants us to meet at the Magic Box to discuss the trip."

"When do we leave?" Tara asked, the trip was a lovely surprise but no one had told her when they were heading off for a summer on the open waves. Buffy opened her mouth to reply and then realised that she didn't know and frowned.

The sound of the shower was the only clue as to Willows excitement, normally she liked to return to bed for morning snuggles, which often lead to morning sex before getting up again and showering, but this morning she appeared to be ready to get going.

Reaching for her robe, Tara wrapped it around her warm but naked body and slipped from under the covers. After a quick trip to the bathroom, she returned to Buffy was had resumed her bouncing on the bed.

"I'll start breakfast then." she said as both she and Buffy headed downstairs.

After everyone had eaten and showered, they headed off for the Magic Box, eager to learn more about their fun summer.

Giles and Xander were there waiting for them when they arrived After exchanging their 'good morning's' and handing out coffee and doughnuts, the ladies sat down and all attention turn to Giles.

"I'm sure you all are eager to learn about our vacation." he began, receiving cheers and whoops of delight in response. "Well, our flights leave on Friday…."

Willow cut in suddenly; "Friday? As in the day after tomorrow Friday?" she asked, drawing giggles from her friends.

"Yes Willow." Giles told her before continuing. "I know its short notice but I have sorted out all the paperwork and documentation that you will need so all you will have to do is pack and turn up." he told them jubilantly.

The girls took a moment to look horrified, they had less than 48 hours to pack for the summer. Giles smiled at them, despite the look of fear and dread that had spread over their features, he knew it wasn't quite as serious as they were making it look. "I have brought the sunscreen provisions too." Giles continued as the girls mentally went through their clothing, trying to decide what they wanted to take with them. "The only thing you have to sort out is food and drinks, but we can go _food_ shopping when we reach Miami!" he said, putting much emphasis on the 'food' part of the sentence.

With the final plans sorted, the Scoobies left the quiet shop, giggling and making plans.

Giles called his friend in Miami to confirm that the yacht they were going to borrow was ready for them and to once again, thank him for his generosity before busying himself with business.

It had been a bold decision to decide to close up shop for four weeks and one that he hadn't made lightly. For him, the rest of the day flew by and he welcomed the arrival of closing time.

Buffy, Willow and Tara had spent most of that afternoon shopping. With their purchases, Buffy's being much more substantial than both Willow's and Tara's combined, returned to the Summers' home and Xander ordering pizza, the friends settled down to discuss their lack of maritime knowledge.

While they busied themselves fetching plates and glasses, Xander snuck into the kitchen, a mischievous grin lighting up his handsome face. Willow was the only one to see his arrival, even Buffy with her Slayer senses was too excited to notice.

As Buffy turned towards the cupboard, Xander threw a full glass of water over her. "Slayer overboard!" He hollered before sprinting off. Both Willow and Tara fought to control their laughter as Buffy flapped and flustered at her surprise drenching. "Oh, he is so dead!" she told them, a huge smile spreading over her face as she filled a jug with ice cold water.

"I'm going upstairs!" Tara announced suddenly, trying to stand but finding Willow holding her back. "C'mon, it's funny. Xander makes the best girlish squeals!" the redhead told her.

With Willow holding her hand tightly, Tara knew she wasn't going to get out of the line of fire and resigned herself to the fact that, she too was more than likely going to get soaked.

Tip-toeing into the hallway, Buffy closed her eyes, her Slayer senses firing and pinging in search of her friend. She realised someone was approaching from behind her and spun, throwing the water before she had locked onto her target. "Arrrgggghhh! Buffy!" Willow squealed as the icy liquid hit her.

"Oh god, Will. I'm sorry!" Buffy giggled. From the kitchen they both heard Tara burst into laughter. Turning to her girlfriend, Willow tried her best to look hurt.

"What? It _is_ funny!" Tara told her.

"That's it!" Willow announced, running into the kitchen to find herself a large water containing vessel.

"Will, sweetie." Tara rose quickly from he seat and began backing towards the back door as Willow turned and fixed her with a predatory grin. As the blonde witch pulled open the back door, Willow grinned. Xander was waiting on the other side with a hose pipe. Nodding at her oldest friend, Willow rushed towards Tara who turned and tried to make a hasty escape, only to find herself running headlong into a torrent of water.

Before the spontaneous water fight had a chance to get out of hand, the door bell rang loudly, startling the group noticeably. "Pizza!" they all cheered together and fought to get to the front door as one.

Pulling back the large door, they all giggled at the reaction of the pizza boy. On witnessing the group of soaked, grinning people, some of them having a severe case of 'wet t-shirt competition' clothing, his mouth dropped open, the pizza almost falling from his grasp.

Xander pushed his way through the group to rescue their meal before gravity took control of it. Handing the young man a mixture of bills, the ladies flashed him a collective huge grin before pushing the door closed and chasing after Xander who had taken the opportunity to begin eating.

Still sitting in their wet clothes, the gang tucked into pizza and discussed their impending trip, all totally unaware of what they were going to face on the open ocean.


	3. Chapter 3

As Friday dawned, the Scoobies were already up and raring to go. They met at the Magic Box at 6am and, even Xander was on time, he was still half asleep, but he was on time.

After a long journey to L.A International airport and a large argument with the check-in staff, the Scoobies were finally aboard their flight and jetting their way to Miami.

Five hours later, they landed at Miami International and, after colleting their belongings made their way into the sunshine. "Wow!" Buffy said, stretching her legs and trying to rub the cramp from her thighs, looking to the others, she saw they too were rubbing and stretching the aches from their limbs.

Giles smiled, he knew that their cramps and stiffness would soon be washed away by the fresh ocean breeze, only to be replaced with a brand new set. "Taxi!" he called suddenly, waving one hand in the air. Two cabs came to a halt in front of him and he smiled. On returning to Sunnydale, he had spent almost half an hour trying to hail a taxi but here in Miami, they seemed to always travel in pairs and over-populate the city. As the gang loaded their cases into the trunks of the two vehicles, the girls piled themselves into the back, leaving Giles and Xander to occupy the other. After giving the second cab driver clear instructions to 'follow that cab', Giles slumped into the back of the lead car and gave his destination to the driver.

"So G-man." Xander sighed as they pulled away from the airport. "Three women and one boat. I'm starting to think you didn't think this through too well." Giles smiled before replying.

"We survived pretty well with five women in one camper van!" he told the younger man, his brow falling almost instantly as he recalled that he nearly _hadn't_ survived.

Xander turned to him, a look of total disbelief over his face. "That was only a couple of hours and you nearly died!" he reminded him, causing the cab driver to hide a giggle.

"Oh well, yes. But this will be different!" Giles assured him and turned his gaze to the window, indicating that he no longer wished to continue the conversation.

After another hour of travelling, the cars came to a halt at the entrance to a well kept marina. Giles shook Xander who had fallen asleep on the trip and was snoring loudly. "Uh what, mom, I'm up!" he mumbled as he opened his eyes.

"If you plan on snoring like that on this holiday, it might be you that doesn't survive!" the Watcher told him.

"Xander, it's time to wake up and sail!" Buffy announced as she pulled the door open, spilling Xander onto the pavement.

After paying the drivers and watching the cabs disappear into the afternoon light, Giles headed into a small office to collect the keys for the boat. "So, which one do you think is ours?" Tara asked, causing the others to survey the boats bobbing up and down on the sea. As they speculated the boat on which they would be spending the next four weeks, Giles reappeared from the office, a small set of keys and a sheet of paper in hand. "If we're all ready?" he asked as he led the way down the marina and towards their yacht.

"Oh my goddess!" Willow breathed as Giles came to a halt in front of a large, immaculate yacht. The other Scoobies stood in stunned silence. Before them bobbed a 50ft, pristine white yacht. "It's like something from a James Bond movie!" Xander whispered, clearly in awe of the spectacular vessel. The girls turned to him in one movement, each one rolling her eyes and grinning.

"Welcome to 'Solo Dreams'" he announced, indicating the name of the boat with his left hand. "All aboard who's going aboard!" he finished, gathering up his things and stepping onto the deck.

As soon as they were aboard, the air was full off; "Oh god!", "Oh wow!", "Guys, look at this!" and the most welcome of all, at least to the ears of both Giles and Xander; "Look, there's two bathrooms!"

As they all convened in the living/dining area, Giles lifted a large envelope from the largest table and opened it.

"_Dear Rupert, Buffy, Willow, Tara and Xander,_

_ Welcome aboard 'Solo Dreams', she's a beaut and will treat you well. On board you will find 3 cabins, only one of which is a double, for which I apologise, this one has an 'on-suite'. The other two have two bunks each so there will be more than enough room for you all. The instruction manual is at the helm if you get into problems but I had her serviced two days ago and she's running like an angel so you should all be fine. If you get stuck, ask the computer. Giles, I'd get one of the youngsters to do that, you're not as young and 'with it' as they are!"_

Giles frowned momentarily as he read, "Not as young and with it indeed!" he said indignantly, much to the amusement of the others who were suddenly finding their shoes incredibly interesting. "Oh, ok." he sighed.

_There's plenty of storage so you should be able to get everything you want and keep it fresh for the duration of your trip. If not, she goes fast enough to get back to shore, do some shopping and get back out without wasting a day. Life jackets are stored under the bed in the master cabin, I suggest wearing them, but given your crew Giles, I'm finding that hard to see happening! _

_Fill her up again, or leave me the money when you dock again and most importantly, have a brilliant time!_

_Brian Robson"_

He carefully folded the letter and slipped it back into its envelope. Regarding the group Giles began sorting out room arrangements. "Willow and Tara should take the master cabin. All those in favour?" he asked, receiving raised hands from both Buffy and Xander. "I will lodge with Xander which leaves Buffy in a cabin on her own." he finished.

"Great!" Buffy grinned, her delight at not having to share clearly written over her face. "I'll put the cases away. Willow, Tara, do you guys wanna do the shopping thing?"

"On it!" Willow replied, as she took Tara's hand and led her back on deck. Willow had been given the shopping money prior to leaving Sunnydale as safe keeping. Buffy hadn't liked the way Xander was eying a candy stall and had felt that their food budget would be safer with her.

With Willow and Tara gone, Xander decided to have a look around. After pulling open many of the cupboards and finding them empty, he slumped heavily onto one of the seats in the larger living area and was surprised to hear a loud 'click' as he did so.

"Ooooh, secret goodies!" he cheered as he stood up and turned back to the seat. Pulling the cushions up, he grinned when it flipped open to reveal fishing equipment. "Hey Giles!" he called to the watcher who was busying himself with making tea. "I found stuff to catch our own dinner with!" he announced. Giles' head popped through the small doorway and grinned as Xander retrieved some fishing tackle from under the seat.

"Excellent!" he exclaimed, the joy evident on his face. "I've always wanted to do some deep sea fishing!" he finished before returning to answer the call of the kettle.

Buffy emerged from the farthest cabin and grinned. No matter where Giles was, he wasn't truly comfortable until he had found a way to make himself a cup of tea, and now that he had one, he was sitting on one of the long sofas and sipping the steaming beverage carefully.

The arrival of Willow and Tara made the entire group jump. "Wow, that was quick!" Buffy announced as they placed their shopping bags on the counter.

"Well unlike you Buff, we go and get what we want rather than browsing _every_ store!" Willow retorted quickly, a smile brightening her already pretty face. Buffy tried to look hurt by her friends comment but failed dismally.

Brushing it aside, she began rummaging through the bags as Xander told Willow and Tara of his discovery. "Lets get this put away in this tiny kitchen and then we can set sail?" Buffy broke into their jovial chat, directing her question at Giles.

"Galley. And maybe we should wait until the morning?" The Watcher replied, his response drawing a mask of confusion over the face of his young charge. "Uh?" she asked as she stored away a few loaves of bread.

"It's a galley, not a kitchen." Giles told her again. "It may be best of we all get a good nights sleep before setting out, start the journey with fresh senses." Both Willow and Tara nodded their agreement, and Xanders yawning put him in with the others.

"So, I'll do dinner and we'll go to sleep and then leave in the morning?" Buffy announced as she manoeuvred her way around the tiny galley. Finding a large pizza, she popped it in the microwave and slumped down in the seat next to Tara. "Wow. Cooking's stressful." she giggled, nudging the blonde playfully.

After dinner, each Scooby retired to their relevant cabins for a brief nap and not one of them awoke before sunrise the next morning.


	4. Chapter 4

Giles awoke to a soft pink hued sky and the sound of waves lapping gently against the hull of the yacht, reaching out for his spectacles; he slid them onto his face and peered at his watch through sleep blurred eyes.

Uncurling himself from the bottom bunk, he stood and stretched. In the bunk now at his eye level, Xander slept peacefully, a slim trail of drool puddling on his pillow.

Slipping into the silent living area he crossed to the galley and put the kettle on to boil while he sat and enjoyed his early morning peace.

"Morning Giles." A soft voice floated up from the other room and he smiled. "Good morning Tara." he whispered, crossing into the larger room and smiling warmly. "Did you sleep well?"

Tara was sat, her knees curled up into her chest and wrapped in a large blanket. Smiling softly, she nodded.

"Willow is practicing her breast-stroke." she told him, instantly wishing she could pluck the words from the air and stuff them back in her throat. Her cheeks flushed a deep and fiery crimson and she dropped her eyes.

Retracing his steps, Giles laid a heavy hand on her shoulder as he paused in the doorway.

"I know what you meant." he told her, squeezing her muscular shoulder fondly and easing her embarrassment. "Would you like a cup of tea?" he asked, pulling two mugs from the cupboard before she had replied.

"Please." Tara told him as she fought to control the burning in her cheeks.

"I'll have one too." Willows voice was still husky with sleep and she slumped heavily on the couch next to her girlfriend, placing a delicate kiss on her lips.

Giles returned to the larger living area with a tray of tea and some bagels that the girls had purchased the day before. They sat and ate their breakfast in relative silence, each one lost in the mental speculation of what their travels would hold.

Buffy appeared in the doorway, her cabin was furthest from the living areas and she had obviously made a trip to the bathroom before joining them. "Mornin all." she said brightly as she helped herself to a bagel and sat next to Giles.

"Morning Buffy." the three echoed in unison.

"So, what adventures are we having on the high seas today?" she asked, her enthusiasm and excitement hadn't been in the least bit diluted by her arrival aboard the yacht.

Giles rose and fetched some charts that Brian had organised for them. "Well, according to my friend, there is some good fishing to be had here." he told them, pointing to a mark on the chart. The others gathered around the map, taking mental notes of the position the Watcher was indicating.

"So fishing and sunbathing!" Buffy said cheerfully. "Anyone want juice, you did get juice, right?" she asked, focusing her question in the direction of Willow and Tara.

"Yeah, we got juice." Willow told her and smiled as her friend bounced off to fetch herself her morning beverage.

With their small but filling breakfast consumed, Willow and Giles headed on deck to examine the controls and various satellite locators on the helm, all the while Giles gave a running commentary on the name and function of each of the pieces of equipment.

As Tara cleared up and washed the dishes, Buffy returned to her cabin and dressed for her day of sunbathing. Opting for a simple black bikini and light blue sarong, she also headed on deck to join Willow and Giles, Tara joined them moments later, adorned in long shorts and a vest top. Willow had decided that she needed some colour and had also chosen a bikini and shorts.

After two full hours on deck, under the hot sunshine, Giles had decided that his jeans and shirt were too much and headed back below deck to change.

As Buffy found herself a place on the bow of the boat, she laid out a towel and set a book and personal stereo next to it, her sunglasses had been the very first thing she had put on that morning and, so far, they hadn't left her face.

As Buffy returned to join Willow and Tara at the helm, Giles reappeared and was met with three open mouthed stares before the young women in front of him burst into fits of laughter. In a simple polo shirt and shorts, Giles failed to see the funny side of his outfit and frowned at their response.

"Oh Giles, you have legs!" Buffy managed between her laughing, the tears streaming from under her sunnies and dripping onto the deck.

Giles rolled his eyes playfully, suddenly understanding why the girls where all laughing so heartily.

As the giggles and tears were washed away, Giles decided it was more than time they set sail so to speak.

"What about Xander?" Tara asked suddenly.

"Oh, he won't be up until lunch!" Willow told her and settled herself down on the side of the boat, her legs dangling over the edge and her feet trailing in the water. Everyone giggled and Giles started the boat, manoeuvring carefully out of the dock, he pointed the vessel into open water and gunned the engine, speeding them all into an unknown adventure.

After about an hour, Xander emerged on deck looking decidedly green around the gills. "I don't travel well." he told Giles, making the older man jump noticeably. Offering him a weak smile, Giles slowed the yacht slightly and they continued their cruise. Buffy was laid out in her bikini, the gentle spray coating her already tanned skin and making her glisten in the sunlight. Willow and Tara were playing cards and seemed to be enjoying their free time.

"There's Dramamine in the first aid box." Giles told Xander who disappeared below deck to fetch the welcome medication.

"Hey Giles, look." Willows voice called the Watcher back to attention. He hadn't realised he had been day dreaming, his mind lost in the beauty and serenity of the open ocean. "Dolphins!" Willow, Tara and Buffy were all hanging over the rail at the front of the boat, watching a pod of dolphins racing in perfect time with them.

Xander appeared on deck and looked only slightly better. "Xander, you're up!" Willow announced as she noticed her friend. "C'mon, look there's dolphins." she told him, gesturing for him to join them.

"If you happen to find my stomach, or sea legs, gimme a yell." he told Giles before venturing towards the girls.

Once the dolphins had grown tired of following the yacht, Giles slowed down and the group ate a large lunch. "How about some fishing?" Giles asked as he and Buffy tidied away the lunch things.

"I'd like that." Tara replied, surprising everyone.

"You fish?" Willow asked her, unable to hide the astonishment in her voice.

"I went a few times with my dad, before…. well, just before." she replied, hanging her head and covering her eyes with her hair at the same time.

Reaching out, Willow took Tara's hand in her own and squeezed it gently. After Tara's family had arrived, unannounced on her twentieth birthday, she had revealed everything to Willow. Everything about her family and her past and the torment she had suffered at the hands of both her brother and father. The revelations had stunned and chilled Willow to the core of her existence. The things that Tara had experienced while in the supposed care of her family had left the redhead grateful for her own disinterested parents. That night Willow had held Tara and made a solemn vow to never let anyone hurt her again.

Almost by magic, the rest of the Scooby core had vanished on deck, leaving the two witches alone in the living area. "I'm sorry." Willow whispered softly, brushing Tara's hair back behind her ears. "I didn't mean, I didn't know… I never meant to…." her words were cut off by Tara's lips pressing gently into her own.

"I know." the blonde breathed as they parted. "And it's alright. They were my past and you are my future." she finished, pulling Willow in for another delicate kiss.

On deck, Xander had finally managed to find his sea legs, although he thought that was, in part due to the fact that were no longer moving, a small mercy for which he was thankful. Giles had taken to sitting on the deck and was enjoying the sunshine.

"So G-man." Xander asked loudly, "Where are we?" He was studying the chart that had been placed behind a plexi-glass screen. The lines and rough blobs made no sense to him and he wondered how anyone could understand it.

Giles was suddenly by his side and he took a moment to look at the compass that was mounted in the panel in front of him. "Erm, oh yes. Here we are." he said, pointing to an area on the map. "Obviously not iexactly/i there but somewhere under my finger." Giles said, blushing slightly. He hadn't realised quite how far out they had travelled and felt strangely and inexplicably nervous.

From below deck, they heard faint murmurs and moans and Giles look at Xander quizzically. They looked from each other and back down the open hatch into the living area of the boat before regarding each other once again. Xanders face had turned beetroot red and Giles' suspicions were confirmed.

"I'm going swimming." Xander announced, a mixture of arousal and embarrassment flooding his body. As he turned and stripped off his shirt, Giles slammed down the hatch and rushed after him.

"Good idea!" he said and followed Xanders lead in diving from the side, leaving Buffy to stare after them in comical confusion.

"Ok, that was weird." the Slayer said aloud as she watched her friends swimming and diving in the crystal blue waters. "Oh shoot. No sunscreen!" she said after reaching for the bottle and finding the place it had occupied to be empty. "Oh well." Standing briskly, she walked carefully towards the hatch and pulled it open.

Striding through the living area, she frowned when she saw it to be empty. "Willow? Tara?" she asked gently. Nothing. Shrugging her shoulders, she stepped into the kitchen, 'sorry Captain. Galley' she mentally chastised herself, to fetch the sunscreen. She remembered putting it on the side before lunch and banged her fist on the counter when it wasn't there. Racking her brain, she tried to remember where she had moved it to, then remembered that Willow had taken it into her bedroom after her shower.

As she strode back through the main living area, she momentarily wondered what had happened to cause both Xander and Giles to 'abandon ship' in such a manner. "Guys are weird!" she muttered as she reached the door.

Knocking rapidly, Buffy tapped her foot on the floor before knocking again. Tara's voice rang out around the boat; "Yes!" she called loudly, causing Buffy to push the door open and step inside.

"Oh my god!" the Slayer exclaimed as she looked up towards her friends. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry!" she mumbled, backing rapidly towards the door. Willow looked up from her place between Tara's legs, her face a hot and fiery red. Tara's chest heaved with exertion as she scrambled to try and cover her naked body. "I'm going, I'm going!" Buffy continued backing away, only succeeding in backing herself into the doorframe. Turning on the balls of her feet, Buffy fled from the room, shaking her head in the vain attempt that she could somehow shake the images of what she had just seem from her mind.

Rushing back on deck, she stripped her sarong from her waist and dove overboard, allowing the cool ocean to wash away the images.


	5. Chapter 5

Willow and Tara emerged on deck about forty five minutes later, their giggles resounding around the silent deck and their cheeks still flushed with a mixture of satisfaction and embarrassment. Giles was sitting at the bow, his legs dangling over the edge. Buffy and Xander were still splashing and playing the soft ocean swell. "H-hey guys." Tara said, surprised by the reappearance of her stutter.

Giles turned towards the women who were still wrapped up in one another, their fingers intertwined and stealing looks when they thought the other wasn't looking. Giles beamed at them and nodded his head before continuing with the book that had been previously hidden from their view.

Buffy and Xander emerged from the water moments later. Xander grinned and winked as he passed the women to fetch his towel. Buffy dropped her eyes and contemplated leaping back into the welcoming sea.

She had accidently walked in on the pair once before, back when she and Willow had shared a dorm room. Patrol had been quiet and she decided to forego a night with Riley in favour of some Willow time. Unfortunately for her, Tara had thought 'Willow time' was also a good idea. Buffy had burst into the room to see her best friend receiving some 'good lovin'.

Dropping the cups and doughnut box, she had turned and fled, much like she had today. For months she wondered how Willow had managed to get herself into that position but hadn't found the courage to ask, instead she decided to try it herself. Even with her Slayer strength and dexterity she had pulled all the muscles in her thigh and had limped for a week.

They hadn't really spoken about the incident, although Willow seemed to be less than embarrassed at being caught.

"You ok Buff?" the redheads voice cut into her recollection and she instinctively looked up, her eyes meeting the deep green pools before her.

"Uh? What?" Buffy asked as she felt her cheeks burning.

"I said, are you ok?" Willow spoke slowly, sounding each word out clearly. Buffy grinned, something about Willows demeanour always managed to put her at ease and she nodded.

"Yeah, just having a memory." Buffy replied a frown crinkling her forehead.

"A good one I hope?" Tara asked gingerly.

Buffy's grinned widened, "For some it was." she told the blonde, before disappearing below deck to shower.

"No Xander, I really don't think it's a good idea." Giles voice was stern as Willow and Tara reached the pair.

"What's not a good idea?" Willow asked as she dropped to the deck, Tara's hand still enclosed around hers.

"Xander feels that he should have a go at 'driving'." Giles told them. Looking around the boat, there was no sign of anything, no other boats, no buoys, not even a random seagull.

"Well, it's not like he can hit anything." Willow said, gesturing to the vast ocean around them. "And I'm sure that you will keep and eye on him." Giles sighed and looked around. Willow was right, there was nothing to be seen for miles. He scolded himself mentally for being so selfish. Secretly he enjoyed being the captain of such a stunning vessel and thought that maybe the authority and responsibility had gone too his head.

"I guess you're right Willow." he sighed eventually.

"Yay! Cap'in Xander to the wheel!" the young man announced, leaping to his feet and performing a strange little dance around his friends.

"It's the helm, not the wheel." Giles sighed. He had filled them in on basic nautical terms before they'd even left Sunnydale but it seemed that in their excitement, they had forgotten.

"To the bridge Cap'in!" Xander beamed and was surprised to find Giles grinning right back at him. 'Maybe they didn't all forget.' Giles thought.

"Beam you up Scotty!" Willow and Tara replied in unison and Giles rolled his eyes playfully.

As Xander started the engine, it spluttered momentarily before humming cheerfully. "Not too fast now." Giles instructed from his side as he increased the speed slowly.

Soon the were merrily zipping through the waves, Willow and Tara shrieking in delight at the bow, enjoying the wind and mist from the ocean in their faces.

Buffy returned to the deck, rubbing her head indignantly. "Giles, have you been drink…" he words were cut short when she saw Xander at the helm. "Explains everything." she muttered as she grabbed hold of the hatch for support. Moving carefully to join Willow and Tara, she grinned at Giles and Xander.

"Will?" she called as she reached her friends side. Willow beamed at her, her face and shorts were soaked and she was clearly loving the experience. "I'm sorry about before." she shouted over the sound of the engine and the waves. Willow brushed the comment away and Tara smiled apologetically. "Just forget it Buff." the redhead told her. "It's no biggie!" Tara nodded her agreement and Buffy could do little but shrug.

Suddenly the yacht jerked sideways, almost as if pushed by an invisible hand. Everyone's ears popped in much the same way they often do on an airplane and they felt an unseen force wash over them. Xander slowed the boat and stopped as quickly as he could.

"What did we hit?" Giles yelled, the obvious fear in his voice making them all more than a little nervous.

Willow, Buffy and Tara shook their heads. "We didn't _hit_ anything." Buffy told him before leaning over the side to inspect the hull once more.

"It was more like we passed through something." Willow called back up to him.

Joining together in the centre of the deck, the Scoobies checked themselves mentally and all appeared to be unharmed. "I'm going to check out the hull." Giles announced suddenly. "Just to be sure." he finished before disappearing below deck.

"I could do with a swim, I'll help." Tara announced and ducked through the hatch to change into her bathing costume and tell Giles.

"That was weird." Xander said, trying to break the uneasy silence that had filled the air since their spooky encounter. Willow and Buffy looked around before looking at each other.

"Something isn't right." Willow said, matter-of-factly. The reappearance of Giles and Tara kitted out in their bathing kits hushed her next words and she stood and stared at her girlfriend. In their years together, Willow had seen Tara in almost every possible scenario but never in a bathing suit. The vision before her took her breath away. The black material clung to her voluptuous breasts and teased her imagination. The leg was cut high and revealed the full hips of her lover to perfection.

Tara remained oblivious to Willows staring as she took the snorkel that Giles handed to her. When she looked up, she caught Willows eyes and grinned. Crossing over the deck, her fingers brushed Willows. Leaning in she whispered; "See something you like baby?" she purred causing the redhead to swallow noisily. Tara giggled and before Willow had a chance to reply, she dove into the crystal blue ocean.

"We won't be a minute." Giles told them as he dove over the opposite side of the boat.

Sitting in the living area, Giles, Buffy, Xander, Willow and Tara were trying to puzzle out what had caused the sudden impact. The hull was completely undamaged and Giles had been watching Xander carefully to ensure that he was careful. "It doesn't make any sense." Xander said for the seventh time. They had prepared and eaten a large meal of freshly caught fish and new potatoes with salad and Xander was helping himself to more ice cream.

A hideous thought suddenly struck Willow. "Giles, where are we?" she asked suddenly. The Watcher took to his feet and retrieved the charts and compass. After studying it for almost ten minutes in perfect silence, he removed his glasses and polished them fiercely before returning them to their perch on his nose and focusing his attention on the maps.

Willow crossed to his side and looked at the charts before them. "We were here before lunch." he said, pointing to an open expanse of water between Miami and a group of smaller islands. Willow picked up a pencil that Giles had retrieved with the charts and drew three simple lines over the map.

"Xander had us pointing in this direction…." Giles' words were lost when he saw what Willow had created with her simple pencil strokes. Taking his glasses from his face, he stared at her in disbelief. "No, it's just not possible." he told her. After re-reading the compass and various other technical locators, the witch and the watcher stared up at each other, horror filling their faces.

"So, where are we?" Tara asked suddenly, the tension in the small cabin was almost suffocating and she was desperate for someone to break it.

"Well, according to this highly sophisticated equipment." Giles began. "We're in Hawaii."

The three stared with open mouths at the Watcher. "In reality." Willow took over. "I think we're _in_ the Bermuda Triangle!"


	6. Chapter 6

Silence reigned. Three sets of staring eyes. Three open mouths. Two bringers of bad news.

"Giles?" Buffy's voice was weak, almost childlike. "She's wrong, right?" Polishing his spectacles once again, Giles simply shook his head. "No Buffy, I'm afraid that Willow may indeed be correct." Three sets of eyes focusing on one single redheaded witch.

"We can just turn the boat around, go back the way we came." Xander offered, his voice displaying the rising panic and hinted with guilt. "What did I do?" he breathed.

"It'll be ok Xand." Willow tried supportively, crossing from the galley to the table her oldest friend was sat at. Her hand came to rest gently on his shoulder. "We'll get out of this. And besides, I'm probably wrong." she smiled weakly as his eyes searched hers. When he saw no doubt in her emerald eyes, he shook his head. "When are you wrong, Will?" he asked her solemnly before shaking off her hand and disappearing into his cabin.

Buffy had gone to study the charts and maps laid out next to Giles. He was explaining what he knew and what they had managed to piece together. Willow held her head in her hands, she hated being the bearer of bad news, especially when it was quite possibly caused by one of the group. Tara's warm hand suddenly wrapped around her own and she looked up into the oceanic blue before her. "You sure?" she asked, searching Willows eyes, much as Xander had done. Willow nodded. "Willow, I think I may…." Giles' words were cut short as the redhead rushed from the room, closing her cabin door firmly behind her.

"I'll talk to her." Tara told the two remaining Scoobies quietly. "We'll get through it, we always do." she offered a weak smile and followed after Willow.

"Can we get through this, Giles?" Buffy asked.

"I don't know Buffy. It's possible, but I just don't know." he answered honestly.

In Xander's cabin

Xander was pacing the tiny cabin, his mind racing and full of 'what if's'. On his bed he had laid a picture of Anya. 'She's not the most conventional girlfriend' he thought as he continued to pace the tiny compartment, 'But she's _my_ girlfriend. Oh god, what if I never get out of this. I might never see her again.' his eyes stung when he realised how she would feel about not seeing him ever again. He had let her down so badly when he left her at the alter, although he had done it for the right reasons, he still carried the guilt and pain and not speaking up sooner and sparing her the pain and heartbreak. 'Dawnie. Buffy might not see her. What will she do without her?" his mind raced through the possible scenarios. 'Foster care? An orphanage?' Slumping back onto his bunk, Xander rubbed the bridge of his nose. 'And all because I wanted to be so James Bond' he thought sadly.

In Willow and Tara's cabin

Willow was curled up on the bed, her knees bent up to her chest. "Willow? Baby?" Tara's soft voice warmed Willow instantly. Crossing the average sized cabin, Tara crawled onto the bed, wrapping her arms gently around Willows waist. The smell of her hair, the slightest aroma of her perfume, the scent that was entirely just Willow filled Tara's nostrils and she inhaled deeply. "It's not your fault." she whispered, her breath tickling Willows neck and causing her to shiver slightly within her embrace.

"I know." Willow replied, her tone flat and unconvinced.

Tara turned Willow to face her, cupping her lovers face until their eyes met. "It's **not** your fault." Tara repeated.

Willow managed a weak smile, in the face of such a beauty, how could she feel so awful? Simple, she couldn't.

"You know something Tara?"

"I know lots of somethings." Tara's voice had dropped to a purr and her eyes sparkled in the light.

"I love you." Willow told her.

"I love you too." Tara leant in to kiss the soft, warm lips of her angel, nipping gently at the lower one as a request to gain deeper access.

Granting her lovers tongue access, Willow moaned softly. It never failed to surprise her how something as simple as a kiss could wash away her every fear and doubt. As they pulled apart, both were breathless. Searching the others eyes, Willow broke the silence. "Just hold me?" she asked. Safe in Tara's embrace, Willow closed her eyes and tried to figure out a way out of this mess.

Back with Buffy and Giles

"Maybe I should turn in." Buffy said, she couldn't help but sound disappointed. This was meant to be a fun summer on the ocean, away from demons, vampires and other supernatural menaces and now they were lost in the Bermuda Triangle. 'Falls under the heading of ironic.' Buffy thought.

"Oh yes, I think we could all do with a good nights sleep." Giles voice cut into her thoughts and he stifled a yawn. "Things will look better in the morning. They always do!" he told her, squeezing her shoulder gently as she passed him to go to her own cabin.

Offering him a weak smile, Buffy walked slowly, her mind racing through what they could all be facing.

"Mornin' matey!" a tall black man towered over Xanders bunk. He tried to scream, to call out to the others and found he was gagged. Struggling to get up, Xander realised that his hands and feet were bound and so he wiggled like a huge worm on the end of a fishing line. "Nice day for some piratin'" the large man continued, and flipped Xander from his bunk.

Laughing, the pirate wandered back out into the main living area. "Some fine girls to trade, arr." Xander heard and rolled his eyes. 'Please, that's the lamest pirate voice **ever**!' he thought.

From the bow of the boat he heard screaming. Not the screams he imagined Willow or Tara to make, but the screams of a fully grown man. "She be a witch! A witch I tell ye."

Xander grinned against the restraint. 'Good going Will.' he thought.

Buffy was finding it equally difficult to move. Although she was tied and gagged, she couldn't find the strength to rip through these measly restraints. 'Bloody Bermuda Triangle' she thought as she struggled.

One by one the group were carried on deck, before them, a huge pirate ship floated alongside their yacht, dwarfing it. 'Yep, no stereotypes so far.' Xander thought as he was dumped unceremoniously next to Giles. The Watcher looked scared but otherwise unhurt. Buffy was soon dropped next to Xander, and Tara beside her.

Two large black men rushed from the boat. "She's a witch I tell ye! Cursed we'll be, arr!" they called as they returned to their own vessel. Willow was dropped hard onto the deck next to Tara. A large man with a huge hoop earring crouched before her. As a grin spread over his face, it exposed yellow and black teeth, the breath coming from the man before her made Willow almost gag. "You be a witch do ye?" he asked her, poking her shoulder with a grubby hand. "Your witching'll do ye no good now." He cackled viciously as he straightened and gave her a sharp kick with one square toed boot.

From within the huge pirate ship in front of them, they heard a vague voice, possibly that of a female, barking an order. "Bring 'em aboard!" she called, causing four of the men to rush back down the gangway and hauling the Scoobies aboard the magnificent vessel.

When they were 'safely' deposited in what seemed like some sort of storage room below deck, they had their gags removed and their hands and feet untied, their captors preferring to shackle them to the wall. "Screamin'll do ye no good. Might get ya a beatin'." the foul toothed pirate told them. "Go on, scream!" he dared them as he slammed the huge door behind him, leaving the Scoobies in darkness.

"Is everyone ok?" Buffy asked, "I mean, is anyone hurt? Will?"

"I'm ok Buffy, ribs hurt but I'm of the good." Willow replied in the darkness.

"Everyone else?"

One by one the Scoobies confirmed they were ok. "So c'mon Buff. Break us out!" Xander whispered.

He could hear her struggling against the restraints but the familiar crunch as they released her never came.

Without being told, they all somehow knew that whatever power they may have had had been somehow affected by their disappearance into this void of Bermuda.

Willows voice broke into the darkness. "Occisor ab Castimonia?" she said, it was obvious from her tone that she was trying to work something out.

"It's Latin." Giles said, "It means, erm." His mind raced, trying to find the translation.

"Slayer of Purity." Willow burst out. "So, a slave ship?" she asked, not expecting anyone to know the answer.

Before they had a chance to speculate on the nature of the vessel, a bright beam of light burst in through a small window that had been opened in the doorway. Almost as soon as it was opened, it was slammed shut again.

Outside, the Captain turned to one of the men and whispered something in his ear. "Ei, ei Cap'in" he said and rushed off, returning second later with some rags and disappearing into the room and towards the captives.

"Cap'in wants ye blinded." he told them all, crossing first to Tara with a lecherous grin. Terror flashed across her face momentarily until she saw the blindfold. "Oh, blindfolded." she said allowed, letting the others know that they weren't all about to have their eyes poked out with something unpleasant. Collectively, the Scoobies let out a huge sigh of relief. "Captain who?" Giles asked the grubby man as he knotted the blindfold behind Tara's head before moving on to Xander. "Cap'in Bloody Charity Vane!" he told him proudly. "You have the pleasure of bein' her new toys." he told him proudly. It was well known that pirates enjoyed leaving their mark, being identified by the trail of destruction they left in their wake. "For some o' ye, it'll be good, ye'll die quick. For ye who ain't so lucky." his filthy fingers traced across Willows cheek. "Ye'll be played wiv. She like to torture ye pretty ones." he licked his lips, fingers still tracing the contours of Willows face.

A loud thump at the door caused him to spin and quickly finish the task he'd been sent in to do.

The Scoobies heard another person enter, firm boots striding purposefully towards Buffy. A soft, undeniably female hand caressed her cheek before pulling back and slapping her hard. Spitting blood onto the floor, Buffy snarled up at the person who had hit her. 'So much strength' she thought. The person in the room, the Scoobies could only guess it was the Captain of the vessel, stood silently. From beneath their blindfolds, minds whirled and spun, each one trying to work out where their captor was.

With no torture to bestow on them at this time, the confident figure strode from the room, the tiniest laugh escaping her lips as she slammed the door closed, leaving them with the greatest torture known. The unknown.


	7. Chapter 7

"Buffy?" Giles voice echoed around the room. "Are you alright?" Concern coated every word and he wanted more than anything to be able to cross the room and check on his young charge.

"I'm ok Giles." the Slayer called back to him. "Nothing like getting your face thumped to make your face hurt!" she tried to giggle it off and the pain screamed through her cheekbone.

They tried to chat idly for several moments before dropping into silence. The only sounds came from the heavy footsteps of their captors above them. Willow had tried reaching out with her mind, tried calling to Tara to offer some morsel of comfort and had found herself unable to reach her.

"Why are they doing this Giles?" Tara's voice cut into the dark silence. "I mean, leaving us down here like this?" she clarified. Contemplating the question for several minutes before answering. "Well, it has been known for pirates to leave their captors in complete isolation for several days, without food or water and when they are on the verge of total physical and mental collapse, they release them and torture them." The others inhaled sharply, the word 'torture' conjuring various mental images, each one worse than the last.

"However," his voice carried a hint of hope. "Since we aren't in isolation, we can hope that that isn't their plan."

Willow wiggled her face, trying to free the blindfold from her eyes. She didn't know what she hoped to see, if anything but the material was making her face sting and itch and it smelt of something that had maybe died about a hundred years ago. After many minutes of struggling, she finally gave up, resigning herself to the fact that she would have to deal with the itching.

The door suddenly burst open once more and the same confident footsteps fell into the centre of the room. Buffy stole herself for another blow as the figure crossed towards her, the soft hand gently stroking her cheek. Almost as soon as this gentle blessing had begun soothing the rapidly swelling flesh, it was gone and the figure moved on.

Standing before Willow, the figure reached out and, using one finger, traced a line across her throat. Willows mind flashed with the memory of the time Faith had held a knife to her throat, how she had so gently caressed her cheek with it previously. Shuddering under the touch, Willow tried to control a scream that rose from her core, uttering the slightest whimper in its place.

"Willow!" Tara called out, her ears were finely tuned to Willow-fear and even with all the other sounds, she had heard the whimper above all else.

Striding towards the blonde, the figure balled a fist and brought it down heavily across the soft cheek of the woman.

"Tara!" Willow screamed into the hull, her first thought not for her own safety, but that of her lover.

Tara hung silently from her restraints, the blow having knocked her out cold.  
"Tara? Baby?" Willows voice demonstrated her terror and desperation. "Talk to me Tara!" she barked the last few words out and received silence in return.

Footsteps closed the gap between their producer and Willow and the redhead shrunk back into the wall, turning her head and preparing herself for the blows she was sure were to come. Willow could feel hot breath on her face and she wriggled against the restraints.

"You stay the hell away from her!" Xander yelled, starling everyone in the room. The figure crossed to stand before him.

Suddenly he grunted loudly and began coughing after a fist came into hard and fast contact with his stomach. "Xander!" Buffy called out.

The figure had, apparently moved back to the centre of the room and clicked their fingers. "Ei Cap'in?" a male voice filled their ears. The owner of the powerful punches crossed to the doorway and whispered something to the pirate who had appeared in the doorway. "Ei ei, Cap'in!" he said and the entire gang could picture him saluting the woman.

Footsteps were heard crashing overhead, before they stopped and then returned over the same path they had just trodden. Back in the doorway, keys jangled and the door slammed shut once again.

Once again, silence filled the room, the Scoobies trying hard not to breath so as to hear their captor. Giles mind raced for the Captains name. Willow barely breathed the words to various spells, each one unsuccessful. Buffy tried to get a grip on the chains, hoping to pull herself up and deliver a swift kick should this woman come near her again. Xander, well he wished he had never asked to drive the yacht and cursed himself for landing his friends in such trouble.

Keys jangled in a lock and each one pricked up their ears, trying to work out how was being released. Tara groaned as she hit the solid floor. "You keep your god damned hands off of her." Willow screeched, yanking at her restraints with all her might. "I swear, if you hurt her, I'll kill you!"

Footsteps closed in or her rapidly, a swift flying kick being delivered to her stomach and knocking the wind from her lungs.

"Will!" Xander yelled, his voice wobbly with emotion. "I'll gut you, you bitch!"

Buffy cut in before Xander received punishment for his words. "Don't hurt them, take me. Just don't hurt my friends." she yelled. "Unless you're too scared!" A torrent of punches washed over the Slayer almost as soon as her words were out, to her face, torso and chest. Their deliverer grunting loudly as she rained down blow after blow.

As soon as the attack began, it was over although to Buffy's mind it had lasted many minutes.

Footsteps returned to the area Tara had previously been restrained in and the woman grunted once again, shackles rattled and the footsteps headed back towards the door, this time slower and more careful.

Light flooded the small room and the woman was replaced with the ever talkative pirate.

Removing their blindfolds one by one, he regarded each set of freshly revealed eyes. "Ain't ye all purdy!" he announced as he ripped Buffy's blindfold from her face. She snarled at the vile man and spat in his face, momentarily shocked to see blood drip from his face. Her ribs hurt and her head spun wildly.

He laughed manically at her before turning and striding out on deck. "Will?" Xanders voice filled the room. "Willow? You ok?" he asked.

She coughed slightly and groaned from the exertion. "Yeah. Think some ribs are bust up." she admitted. "Where's Tara?" Panic set in as she scanned the room quickly and saw no sign of her beloved.

Tears stung her eyes. "Tara!" she screamed into the room before breaking down into hysterical sobs.

As Willows crying subsided, Xander spoke up again. He knew there was little point in trying to talk to Willow as there was nothing he could say that would make her feel any better. Lying would do nothing but enrage her and he honestly couldn't tell his friend where her girlfriend had been taken too.

"Buffy, how ya holding up?" he asked as Willow choked back and dealt with her mounting fury.

"You're a carpenter." the Slayer replied, causing a wave of confusion to contort his face. "How about building a house in my mouth. Y'know, give my foot somewhere to live!" she said, a hint of amusement tickling her tone.

Despite their terror, each Scooby managed a weak laugh.

"She'll be ok, Will." Buffy continued. "She's strong. She's a fighter."

Willow half smiled, she knew what Buffy was telling her was true but she couldn't help but want to protect her lover. Before the redhead had a chance to respond, Buffy continued; "I know." Sympathy ran through her tone and Willow momentarily wondered if the Slayer had read her mind.

Deciding that Buffy knew what she was thinking purely from their lengthy and rather unconventionally formed friendship, Willow nodded. "I know you do. Now how do we get her back!?"

Each Scooby turned to Giles, after all, he was the man with all the answers. "I'm afraid I just don't know!" he told them sadly. "I just don't know."


	8. Chapter 8

Hours had passed since Tara had been removed from the group and Willow had grown more frantic with each passing second.

Outside a storm was brewing, the boat tilting and tipping violently. Both Buffy and Giles had managed to move in time with the boat to alleviate their nausea. Willow and Xander on the other hand, weren't holding it together so well. In the dim light, Xander looked pale and dehydrated. He had been vomiting for almost two hours and had no way to replenish his fluids.

Willow looked decidedly green and Giles guessed she had, maybe ten minutes before her stomach gave in to the motion of the boat.

"Hey Captain Scaredy Cat!" Buffy screamed, hoping she could be heard over the ocean. "You lily livered wimp!"

Giles, Willow and Xander looked at her with absolute horror. "Buffy, what the hell are you doing?" Giles called over to her.

"I got a plan!" Buffy told him with a grin. "Have faith!" she finished.

The door burst open and a torrent of water followed the dim light into the room. "Cap'in Vane ain't happy with ye!" the pirate told her. "I gotta shut ye up." he said with a grin, marching towards the blonde Slayer with outstretched arms.

"What's your name?" Buffy asked him as he got closer, she grinned and fluttered her eyes at him.

"Bob the Bloody." he told her with a grin and Buffy and the others had to stifle their giggles.

'Whoever heard of a pirate called Bob?' Willow thought as she watched him get ever closer to Buffy.

Almost in the blink of an eye, Buffy sprung, bouncing from the wall and wrapping her legs firmly around the pirate – Bob's- neck and squeezing for all she was worth.

"Oh Cap'in!" Buffy called loudly, her pirate impression eerily accurate. "I think Bob here had a little trouble breathin'" she finished quietly, twisting and squeezing the pirate harder. Another man appeared in the door and took in the situation before him. Xander recognised him as one of them men who had run screaming from Solo Dreams. "Will." he called in a hushed whisper. "He thinks you're a witch. Curse him or something." Willow stared at him in disbelief. "Xander, I can't do that, curse people I mean. Besides my magic is…." The realisation of what Xander meant suddenly hit her and she grinned at him.

"By Poseidon and Neptune. I call upon their wrath…." the pirate turned tail and fled, screaming all the way.

"A witch, A witch I tell ye. We all be cursed!"

The gang giggled and, for the first time, felt a glimpse of hope. "Oi Cap'in. I think your boy here needs some saving!" Buffy taunted again. Heavy footsteps crashed overhead and the momentary flicker of hope was snuffed out in all of them.

Lightning flashed overhead followed by a deafening crash of thunder. The night had turned obsidian black and the rain pounded on the deck like thousands of Doctor Martin clad 'Riverdancers'. Another flash of lightening revealed a figure in the doorway. "Captain?" Buffy asked. The storm bringing her the only response.

Her legs were hurting and bolts of liquid fire shot through her lower back. Holding Bob in this position was doing nothing for her and she swore that, if they got out of this, then she would never take her Slayer skills for granted again.

"Bring us Tara!" Buffy demanded. "You get your favourite pirate in return."

"Buffy, that's not a wise idea." Giles sounded panicked terrified. "Buffy!" he hissed. "I implore you, don't so this." Buffy regarded her friend and Watcher. "Giles, trying to barter here." she hissed back.

"You could get us all killed." the British man returned.

Willow inhaled sharply, "Buff. Let him go, they'll kill Tara." she snapped.

In the doorway, the figure remained still or as still as the storm would allow, and watched the scene unfolding.

It had taken less time than she'd thought. The gang were turning on each other already, and the good thing was, they didn't even realise. In trying to help her friends, Buffy had successfully planted the first seeds of discourse among them.

Buffy's legs dropped from around the pirates neck and he collapsed to the floor, coughing loudly and rubbing his neck. His head spun wildly and he turned his head to the side and vomited fiercely. On rising to his feet, he wiped his mouth on Buffy's long nightshirt and grinned, exposing his hideous teeth and even fouler breath.

"Please, Captain." Giles began, "May we have some water?" The figure seemed to look in his direction momentarily before nodding.

Bob returned to the side of his Captain and the Scoobies saw her lean in to give him an order. He laughed heartily and disappeared from their view. He returned moments later with a bucket and four chalices, all full of water. Walking carefully into the centre of the room, he placed the bucket and chalices down carefully. "Court'sy of Cap'in Vane." he told them and rushed from the room. In the doorway, Captain Vane nodded her head and disappeared back into the stormy night.

Tara had a bunk. Ok, it wasn't a comfortable bunk, but she wasn't hanging from a wall, for which she was grateful. She had awoken shortly after being removed from her friends and dumped into a store room. She could smell mice and so guess there may be food somewhere in the room with her.

Her hands were still shackled but this time to something large and heavy on the floor, if she was careful, she could move from the bunk, which was comprised of empty rice sacks, and move in a circle almost four feet.

She knew that she would have to pay for this privilege, but for now, she was happy to sit and rest her wrists which were heavily bruised and tender.

The storm outside was dying down slowly, each lightning bolt farther away, each clap of thunder gentler than the last.

It took another two hours for the storm to die out completely and the seas to settle but as soon as they had, the door to Tara's room was flung open. In its mouth stood a tall, well-built man. "Cap'in says ye's to take their punishes." he told her, unchaining her from the floor and dragging her into the light. Tara was momentarily surprised to find it was clear and bright, another day was breaking over the horizon. Wracking her mind, she tried to remember how long they had been on board and was horrified to find that she couldn't. 'This has to be only the second or third day' she told herself.

The pirate dutifully chained her to the main mast and checked he had locked her up securely.

Behind her, a door opened and Tara knew instinctively that Captain Vane was standing behind her. A sharp knife sliced through the material of her pyjama top and the shredded garment slid down her arms, exposing her to the entire ship.

Jeers and cheers filled the morning light as the pirates enjoyed the view before them. It had been many, many months since any of them had even seen another woman, let alone a topless woman. Gentle fingers caressed the length of her spine and Tara shuddered under the touch.

"Get Red!" Captain Vane barked at one of the men to her right. Tara tried turning her head, the voice sounded so familiar that it was almost comforting. For her effort, she received a sharp slap across her cheek and her head returned to staring to the deck.

Her mind ran through possibilities and she sighed deeply. 'It's obvious you're hearing something familiar to comfort yourself because you are scared.' she chastised herself.

Another door burst open and Tara jumped at the sound. "Get your filthy hand off of me you basta…." Willows voice carried across the deck and stroked Tara's ears. "Tara!" she called, struggling to free herself and reach her girlfriend.

Shackles clanked and clunked as Willow was secured behind Tara and to her right, giving her a perfect view of the horror that was about to unfold.

the solid footsteps of Captain Vane crossed towards Willow, who, for the first time got a good look of their captor. What she saw left her speechless. The long, dark hair, well muscled arms and distinctive tattoo on the right arm belonged to only one person.

"Give us a kiss." Captain Vane whispered as she placed a small kiss on the forehead of the stunned redhead.

From behind her, the pirate known as Bob emerged carrying a large wooden tray with a deep red cover hiding its contents. "Voila" Captain Vane announced as she pulled the cover off to reveal a multitude of whips. "Oh goddess, no!" Willow cried, tears streaming down her face. "It was Buffy, not Tara. Don't you lay a finger on her, Fai…." Willows words were silenced as the firm hand of her captor struck her across the cheek. "Shut up Red. Shut up and watch!" she ordered.

Choosing the all time favourite, a cat o' nine tails, Captain Vane crossed to Tara and gently stroked her back with the soft leather before turning to regard her crew.

"Nothing like a flogging to start the day!" she hollered. The crew cheered and stamped their feet on the deck in delight. "You will count!" she snarled at Willow. "If we can't hear you, we repeat the same number until we do. The louder you are, the less she hurts!"

Bob danced a merry jig around Tara. "50 lashes ye'll get!" he taunted before a knife whistled through the air and knocked him in the head. Shaking the blow off, he got quickly to his feet and picked up the knife. Hanging his head, he extended hid arm and handed the blade to its owner. "Sorry Cap'in." he mumbled.

Taking a firm stance on the deck behind Tara, Captain Vane readied the whip in her right hand.

**THWACK! **

The leather whistled through the air and connected with Tara's back, causing her to scream out in pain. "One." Willow said, her voice weak with tears.

"Not good enough!" Captain bellowed. "Again."

Bringing the whip back, Tara received a second lashing, this one more vicious than the first. "One." Willow tried again, her voice a little stronger but still not loud enough.

"God damn Willow." Tara screamed, her back burning as each of the leather strips left a deep red mark.

"ONE!" Willow screamed, eager to get it right and try and reduce the pain and suffering being inflicted upon her beautiful girlfriend, partly because of her.

The whip came back once again, connecting with Tara's shoulders with a sickening SLAP.

"TWO!" Willow screeched, her voice wobbly with the tears that fell freely from her eyes.

Below deck, Xander, Giles and Buffy heard Willows screaming and each one fought against their shackles. Whatever was happening to her sounded beyond painful and each one wanted to get up there and help their friend.

"We need out NOW G-man!" Xander told him.

Their fighting did them no good yet they tried harder. In all their time as friends and with everything they had faced – Hell gods, countless apocalypse', demons and werewolves – they were determined not to let something as simple as a few shackles keep them from helping a friend in dire need.

Blood dripped slowly from a fresh cut over Tara's shoulder.

**THWACK!**

"Twenty!" Willow sobbed as blood flicked across her face from the returning whip.

Pain ripped through Tara's being, she had suffered some incredible beatings at the hands of both her father and brother, and she suddenly wished she was back at her family home at their mercy.

Blood pounded behind her eyes making her head spin.

**THWACK! **

The cuts already covering her back screamed as the hot leather came in contact and opened them further. The skin that wasn't cut burnt, almost as though she had scalded it in boiling water.

Willow paused, the terror and agony written Tara's face make her physically sick, the blood that was now dripping down the backs of her legs and pooling at her feet caused the redhead to turn her head and vomit onto the deck.

"Too slow Red!" Captain told her, administering another sharp blow that split a fresh piece of skin over Tara's ribs open. "Twenty-One!" Willow coughed.

Blow after blow landed across the once soft and smooth expanse of Tara's back with Willow counting each one out loud.

The blood and pain increasing with every lash.

**THWACK!**

"Forty nine!" Willow snarled.

**THWACK!**

"Fifty!" Willow yelled.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Tara felt her legs wobbling and she was terrified she would collapse.

"Clean it up!" Captain Vane ordered and immediately two of her men rushed to fetch a bucket and cloth. Returning seconds later, they were stunned to find the bucket pulled from their hands. "Not you." she said, turning to Willow. "You! Clean her up, she's bleeding on my deck!" Willow stood and waited for someone to release her from the side of the boat. She was sure that she wouldn't be freed completely from her shackles but at least she would have some sort of chance now to ease Tara's suffering.

Willow was handed the bucket and she stared at it dumbly for a few moments. "Clean. Her. Up!" Captain Vane snarled as she ran a long bladed knife across the redheads throat.

Willow realised that she was meant to throw the water rather than actually administer first aid.

"Sorry baby." she called as she threw the water in Tara's direction.

As soon as the cold liquid hit Tara's raw and bleeding back, she screamed in agony. She knew that it was sea water that had been given to Willow, the salt content searing the open wounds and stinging long after it had all gone.

Bob unchained Tara and grinned at her. Her face was pale and sweaty and, in truth, she looked near death.

Captain Vane grabbed Willows face violently. "If B finds out its me, you'll be up for the next flogging. And believe me when I say that your blondie girl will be dishing it out." she snarled.

"I swear to god, I'll kill you, Faith." Willow spat back as she was thrown towards her girlfriend.

As they reached the doorway to the room the others were still in, Faith held them back. "Ask Giles about Keelhauling." she said with a grin. "Then see how willing you are to behave when your girl is enjoying cleaning my boat!" she laughed and nodded for them to be thrown back with the others.


	9. Chapter 9

Bob the Bloody dragged Willow to the centre of the room, chaining her to the central pillar before returning to Tara who was lying, shaking and in tears in the doorway and dragging her inside and chaining her on the opposite side of the pole.

Buffy, Giles and Xander looked on in horror as they saw the blood flowing freely from the blonde witches back. The door slammed closed and Bob was gone.

"What the hell happened?" Buffy asked, her concern clear in her voice.

"You happened!" Willow spat back, "Always trying to be the hero." her voice was reaching supersonic proportions and the scream that tinting its edges made them all cringe. "She took _your_ beating because you can't leave things alone!" Collapsing back on the floor, sobs overtook the redhead and she scooped Tara into her arms, kissing her forehead softly.

"Will, I…" Buffy began but was silenced by the stares she received from both Xander and Giles.

"Tara? Baby?" Willows tear choked voice chilled the group as she gently brushed the blood stained hair from her lovers face. "You gotta stay with me." Willow whispered.

"Willow?" Giles' voice caressed her senses, providing much needed warmth and comfort. "I think I have some antiseptic wipes in my pocket. If we work together, we can get them." he offered, his own voice shaky with emotion.

"I need to clean her back." Willow said, if she had heard Giles' words, she made no acknowledgement. "I need water." She looked around, then stared dumbly at a bucket that sat in the middle of the floor. Stretching out as far as her chain would allow, she used her feet and legs to pull the vessel in towards her. After much struggling, the pail came to rest at her side and she carefully dipped a finger in the liquid and tasted it. "It's fresh!" she announced brightly. After the incident on deck, she didn't want to bathe Tara's wounds in any more salt water, although it would probably help, it was more pain than she could bare to inflict. Cupping her hands, she drank deeply before Tara stirred and then screamed as the pain searing her back hit her again. "Baby, I'm here. Its going to be ok, I'm going to look after you."

Spinning her attention back to her lover, Willow offered her some water.

"Here... you alright?" she asked softly.

Tara's eyes were squeezed shut against the pain, her face pale and clammy with beads of sweat forming rapidly on her brow. "I'm great. I... I can't see but, I'm good." she replied, the pain seemingly to make her sarcastic.

Despite herself, Willow smiled, Tara was awake and talking, which was much better than being unconscious. "Try using both eyes," she said with a giggle.

A slow smile crept over Tara's face and she forced her eyes open. "Oh, ah, yeah, that's better, uh huh."  
"Think you can sit?" Willow asked, eager to get Tara's back away from the floor so she could try and tend to her wounds.  
"You mean I'm not?" Tara replied quizzically. Her head was spinning and she was sure that she was at least sitting up, after all, she had tried.

Willow shook her head and helped Tara into a sitting position, the blonde screaming as the skin moved and stretched with the movement.  
"C'mon" There you go!" Willow said sweetly as they managed to get Tara sitting upright, her left side leaning up against the post for support.  
Looking up into Willows face, Tara looked astounded "By the Gods!" she exclaimed, slipping slightly from the post and forcing Willow to catch her.

"What is it?" The redhead asked, her fingers pushing a few stray strands of hair behind Tara's ear.

"You are beautiful!" Tara announced loudly, a pained smile spreading over her face.

Leaning in, Willow kissed the blonde fiercely. "Don't do that!" she laughed as she pulled back. "You scared me!"

Tara smiled and tried to move, freezing in place when a fresh wave of pain scorched her back. "It hurts Will." she whimpered, tears leaking from her misty blue eyes. "I know baby. I'm going to make it better." she told her, although she still wasn't sure how.

Willow filled her hands and offered Tara a drink from the bucket. The blonde took a few sips before turning away. "I don't think I should have anymore." she told her. "Feeling kinda blechy."

Willow regarded her sadly, dragging the bucket and crawling to sit behind Tara. The open wounds on her back were mainly superficial, but a couple looked like they needed stitching. The flesh was split and oozing but the bleeding seemed to have slowed dramatically. Ripping a rag from the bottom of her pyjama top, Willow dipped it in the bucket. "I'm sorry sweetie, but this is going to hurt." she apologised as she began wiping and cleaning the wounds carefully. Tara growled in her throat, a scream trying to force its way out. She knew if she had screamed during the lashing, then she would have received something much worse and now, all those screams were bursting to come out.

Tara focused her mind and turned her head slightly. "Was that…?" she asked quietly. Willow nodded, her face hardening and she rinsed the rag, wringing it out forcefully.

"Did you see who did it?" Xander asked. "Do we _know_ them?" The Scoobies had heard Tara s question and each one was mortified to think that someone they knew would do this to Tara.

Willows headed snapped in his direction. "It was the Captain." she told him. "And no, we don't know them!"

"But Will, Tara thinks…. and you do too."

"NO!" she snapped. Faiths words hadn't been forgotten and although Willow wasn't entirely sure what 'keelhauling' was, she doubted it would lead to hugs and puppies.

Xander hung his head sadly, he was only trying to help and was being shouted at for his effort.

Giles eyed Willow suspiciously. 'She knows who it is.' he thought. 'So why won't she say?' He pondered the thought for a moment before realisation dawned on him. "Another threat had obviously been made against Tara!" he rolled his eyes and berated himself for his own stupidity. "Good going Giles." he mumbled.

Once Willow had finished tending to Tara's wounds, she slipped from her pj top and carefully laid it over Tara. In all the commotion and screaming, no one had really noticed anything but the blood. "Thanks!" Tara whispered as Willow covered her exposed chest and kissed her softly.

An hour passes without a word, each Scooby lost in his or her own thoughts. "Giles?" Tara asked suddenly. She had been drifting in and out of consciousness for most of the hour but suddenly and strangely, she now felt wide awake. Somewhere in the depths of her mind, she remembered a quote from 'G.I Jane'. "The best thing about pain is it reminds you that you're not dead yet!" 'That's true' she thought, although when Willow had stuttered over #45 and she had to suffer it 5 times, death seemed like a happier option. "Giles?" Lost in her own thoughts, she hadn't heard the Watcher reply and wondered if he had managed to get some sleep.

"Yes Tara. How are you feeling?" he asked, his voice was husky and it was clear that his throat was dry.

"Oh, it's not so bad now." she lied.

Giles smiled weakly, he knew that she wasn't telling them the truth, but whatever had transpired on deck was obvious vicious and bloody and somehow, Willow had been involved. From the look Tara had taken at Willow, Giles couldn't help but think Willow was in some way, involved in Tara's injuries.

"What's 'keelhauling'?" she asked him.

The watchers eyes went wide and Tara thought that had he been a cartoon character, they would have popped clean out of his head. Willows gaze fixed first on Tara, then on Giles as she waited for his answer.

"Well, it's a particularly brutal punishment, popular with the most savage of pirates." he began. "A rope runs under the boat, it's used to scrape barnacles from the hull." The others looked at him, four sets of terrified eyes peered from under wrinkled brows.

"Keelhauling is when a person is tied to this rope, and pulled by means of another rope along it." he said.

"So you mean, under the boat?" Willow choked. "And over the barnacles?" All gazes returned to Giles who nodded slowly.

"The victim of this punishment rarely survives, if they don't drown then the barnacles usually rip them to shreds." he added. "In some instances, sharks have been know to appear and…."

"Ok, thanks Giles." Tara cut him off mid-sentence. Her face had paled further and she looked as though she would vomit and pass out.

Resting her head on Willows shoulder, she allowed the smallest sob to escape her lips.

"Will?" Buffy asked. She had remained silent since Willow had reacted so aggressively towards her but now found her voice once again. "Why did you ask about this key-hauling?" she questioned.

Fixing her eyes on each member of the group, Willow finally settled her gaze on the Slayer. "The captain said, if we don't behave, then Tara will have to suffer _keel_hauling." she told her. Her voice wobbled in fear and misery but her eyes remained clear and menacing.

"You get that? Tara will die if you pull another stunt like that!" Willow finished averting her gaze back to her lover and trying to comfort her and ease her sobs.


	10. Chapter 10

For many hours, the Scoobies sat, or hung in silence. Buffy refused to meet the gaze of the others, her own anger boiling just under the surface. 'Its hardly fair that Willow's blaming me!' she thought, 'I was trying to help after all, its not as though I _knew_ what was going to happen!'

Willow had managed, somehow to get a chalice of water to each of her friends and they had drunk greedily, only to find their thirsts remained unquenched.

Giles' mind raced with possible escape plans that would result in minimal injury to them all and came up blank every time.

Xander's mind hounded him further, the guilt he felt for dropping them all in this mess ate at his insides and he fought to control the sobs that filled his heart.

Somehow, Tara had managed to sleep, her wounds were oozing gently but Willow's treatment had helped in stopping the bleeding.

As night fell, the door to their prison was yanked open and Bob and another pirate entered. They neither spoke, nor made eye contact with the Scoobies, instead, they attached heavy metal hoops to the floor before leaving. Above their heads, the Scoobies heard Bob receiving another order from their Captain. "That voice sounds so familiar!" Buffy thought out loud. Looking to Giles, she questioned him with her eyes. When footsteps were heard returning, he shook his head. He hadn't heard enough to be able to place the voice.

Bob and his companion returned to the small room, with them they carried another bucket of water and a tray with some stale bread on it. Placing it in the centre of the ring of hoops, they glared at each Scooby in turn. "Ye's to behave or ye'll get no grub!" Bob told them as he cautiously shackled Giles' feet before releasing his hands and forcing him to hop over to one of the hoops on the ground. Collapsing next to Willow, Giles was filled with a tremendous sense of relief as his ass hit the solid wooden floor. Xander followed him and grabbed at a chalice, filling it from the bucket and drinking deeply.

Both Bob and his friend tackled Buffy, roughly releasing her and dropping her unceremoniously onto the floor next to her friends before leaving.

"Ooooh, food!" Xander exclaimed happily as he reached for a roll.

"Hold it!" Giles said, his words freezing Xanders hand in mid-grab. "There are five of us and only three rolls!" he noted sadly.

"Tara should have one!" Buffy piped up. "She'll be weak after…. well after what happened."

Looking up from Willows side, Tara shook her head slightly, the only person to notice was Willow who felt the movement against her shoulder.

"Why are you talking about her as if she's not here?" Xander asked, his tone adopting a more accusing note than she felt comfortable with.

All eyes fell on Buffy, it was a perfectly valid question for which she had no answer. "I just thought…." the slayer muttered before hanging her head and lapsing into silence.

Reaching for the plate, Giles offered Tara a roll which she took and bit into reluctantly. She was starving but still felt guilty about getting an entire roll to herself when the others would have to share. Breaking it as best she could in half, she offered the stale bread to Willow who shook her head. "You need to keep your strength up baby!" the redhead told her. Her stomach growled angrily as Tara shook her head and placed the bread into her lap "If you don't eat, I won't either!" Tara told her, her face locking into her best impression of Willows 'resolve' face.

With a weak but loving smile, Willow bit into the bread and grimaced as she fought to chew. "Mmmmmm!" she offered, trying to enjoy the food she had been given.

"Right, so, two rolls, three people." Giles continued, "Xander, you should have one, after all that vomiting you'll need something in your stomach!" he decided and Xander willingly grabbed the smallest roll. Breaking the remaining roll in half, Giles offered one portion to Buffy who shook her head. "Keep it in case someone else needs it. I'm not so hungry." she told him, still avoiding eye contact with the others.

Shrugging, Giles dropped the remnants of the roll back onto the plate and gobbled his half greedily.

With their morsels consumed, attention returned to Tara. Giles reached into his pyjama top pocket and pulled out an antiseptic wipe. "Here." he said, offering the medical item to Willow. "Thanks Giles." she said sadly, before showing Tara what she had been given. Reluctantly, Tara slipped out of the ill-fitting top and allowed Willow to clean the cuts once more.

Watching as Willow administered the most basic of first aid to her girlfriend, the other Scoobies shuddered as they got their first good view of Tara's injuries. Many of the cuts had begun to heal, some had already formed scabs but more than a dozen looked as though they needed some serious medical attention. Tara grimaced as Willow gently wiped the open cuts with the wipe. To her credit, she managed to keep silent although it was clear she was in pain.

"Willow?" Giles offered softly, once the redhead was done. "What did happen on deck?" He recalled the time that Buffy had had to kill Angel in order to save the world, how her admission of these facts had helped her to come to terms with the death of the man she loved.

Shaking her head, Willow sighed. "I really don't want to talk about it, Giles!" she said glumly.

"Maybe you should tell him." Tara whispered, her voice shaking at the idea of having to relive the events of the previous day. "It might help them understand what we all might have to face again."

Searching Tara's clear blue eyes, Willow knew that what she was saying was the truth and yet… "I can't baby!" Choking back a sob, Willows soul ached.

After slipping the pyjama top back over her wounds, Tara hugged the redhead tightly. "We must!" she exclaimed, her tone leaving no room for argument.

After many deep breathes, Willow began her story.

"Oh dear lord!" Willow had finished recalling the events of Tara's lashing and Giles was the only one able to utter anything. Tears seeped gently from the corners of Tara's eyes and she struggled to control them. Willow, having similar issues with her own guilt and turmoil, was fairing less well, sobs had overtaken her and she wept openly.

As Willows sobs subsided, the gang sat in perfect silence, the only sounds reaching their ears were the occasional footsteps from up above and the comforting sounds of waves lapping against the side of the boat.

The sun rose high and proud, bathing the boat in an otherworldly light, sadly for them, the Scoobies didn't get to see this natural beauty from their holding room. By noon, they were all awake and drank carefully from the large bucket that had been left for them. It had been Giles who had suggesting rationing their water supply as he was certain, or at least sounded certain, that this would be the only water they would be given. He had ventured other alternatives, all of which had grossed the gang out. As the boat rocked gently, they settled into another day in their dark, dank and rather musty prison. No one really spoke, Willow and Tara remained huddled together, both avoiding eye contact with Buffy, who tried to work out how she could make it all up to them.

"Get the boy!"

The Scoobies looked up at the faint sound of the voice. "That sounds remarkably like Faith!" Giles said, as their respective gazes returned to the room and each other before coming to rest firmly on Willow and Tara. "R-really? Do you think so?" Tara asked, trying to sound as though she didn't know. "I didn't think so, what about you Will?" she asked, her eyes steely and pinning Willow under her gaze.

"Nope, definitely not like Faith at all!" Willow rambled, "I don't hear any similarities at all, do you Tara?" the blonde shook her head and, together, they returned their stares to the group before dropping their eyes completely and studying the wooden floor.

The others had known both Willow and Tara long enough to know that Giles' suspicion had been stop on. "Oh my god!" Buffy breathed. "Its Faith?!"

For Giles, Buffy and Xander, everything suddenly sit into place. The grunting had been familiar to both Buffy and Xander – for very different reasons – although neither one had thought that the rogue slayer would inflict such torture to one of her own. "All bets really are off as to what she is capable of." Giles whispered sadly as he offered Tara a weak but supportive smile.

In the realisation of who they were dealing with, the Scoobies had entirely forgotten that she had given an order. As the door burst open, they jumped and squinted against the bright day. Bob marched to the centre of the room, a grin revealing his hideous teeth as he fixed his stare on Xander. "Cap'in Vane wants to see ye!" he announced as he reached Xanders side.

"Well, I'm here, but tell her I'm not accepting visitors right now!" Xander replied and crossed his arms forcefully over his chest.

Bob ignored his comments and reached for his arms, attempting to shackle them together.

Without warning, Giles was on his feet, his right arm swinging for the vile pirates head and making contact with a stomach churning crunch. "Go Giles!" the Scoobies cheered and applauded as the other man hit the floor and displacing a huge cloud of dust and dirt as he landed.

Buffy reached for the shackles that Bob had been carrying with him and secured him to the pole next to her, slipping the key into her sock she faced the group with a triumphant grin.

"You don't think it'd be a good idea to try the key in _our_ shackles?" Willow asked her incredulously.

From the doorway a voice filled the room and made each Scooby turn to its owner. "I don't think you wanna do that B!" Faith snarled.


	11. Chapter 11

With open mouths, the Scoobies stared at the undeniable form of Faith, Tara shrinking back into Willow, trying to make herself as small and unseen as humanly possible.

"Why Faith? Why does it have to be this way?" Buffy implored as the rogue slayer took a few steps into the room. "And Tara, what did she ever do to you?"

Willow glared at her blonde friend, her look telling her to keep her mouth shut or risk inflicting another beating upon one of the group.

"Oh B, c'mon." Faiths thick Boston accent hadn't diminished in the slightest and they all wondered how it had taken them so long to work out who their captor was. She paced slowly, meeting each glare as she passed, "You gotta find the fun a little!" the giggle she uttered chilled each Scooby in turn, icy shivers ran the length of Willows spine and she took to her feet. "Find the fun?" she spat, "Where the hell was the fun in beating Tara?" her voice was shaking slightly, tears of pure fury stinging her eyes.

"Oooh, look at Red, all puffed up and looking to score some revenge." Faith laughed as she crossed the small expanse to confront Willow, who, to her credit, refused to back down. "The fun in beating your gal, was the beating!" she stated, her face now inches from Willows own.

"Yeah? Well guess what Faith, she wasn't having any fun!" Willow wished she could take the sentence back and ram in down her throat in exchange for something much better.

Rolling her eyes, Faith allowed her attention to drop from Willow and to her total shock, found the hand of the redhead spinning her back to face her. "We're not done here!" Willow snarled.

"You think you can take me, Red?" Faith asked incredulously.

"I can take you!" Willow replied, "And you know why? Because you're weak and afraid!"

The other Scoobies stared at their friend in disbelief.

Faiths eyes set firmly on Willow and she grinned. "Did you forget our little chat about keelhauling, Red?" she asked quietly, every word coated in danger. "Coz maybe I should have Giles here remind you."

The other Scoobies rallied around Tara as best they could, each one trying to wrap her in a firm, yet gentle hug.

"You know your problem, Faith?" Willow continued, her eyes blazing with fury as she confronted the slayer. "You're a bully!"

Faith laughed and made to turn away once again. To the utter astonishment of everyone, including Faith herself, Willows hand contacted with her cheek in a lightning fast SLAP!

"Oh, you're gonna wish you hadn't done that!" Faith spat, the amazement at being hit by this usually timid woman was written clearly over her face, a face that now wore a bright red hand mark on the left cheek.

Undeterred, Willow's voice found its power and she continued; "You can beat people who are chained and weak but a fair fight scares you!" she snarled, "You're scared to play by the rules, scared that someone will beat you if you go one on one!"

Behind Faith, Buffy was trying to quietly unlock her shackles, succeeding as Willow finished speaking.

As Faith balled her fist, the surprises continued as Tara spoke up. "Obrigesco!" she yelled as she threw her hands out in front of her in a desperate attempt to help, startling both Xander and Giles. Amazingly, Faith froze in place, her fist in midswing towards Willows head.

Turning towards the blonde, each Scooby in turn looked both thrilled and amazed. "Tara? What did you do?" Buffy asked quietly.

"I-I I froze her." she stuttered.

"Yeah, I got that!" Buffy replied. "But how?"

With a grin, Giles released their shackles and stood up, rubbing his legs. "We must be out of the triangle." he deducted. "It appears as though Tara has her magic back."

With the tables turned, Buffy and Giles moved Faith to the space that Buffy had previously occupied and shackled her to the large hoop in the middle of the room. "How much time do you think we have before we, well slip back?" Buffy asked as her eyes darted around the room.

"Honestly, I don't know?" Giles told her "But I think the best thing we can do is get out of here as quickly as possible."

After unlocking the shackles of the others, the gang moved as one combined unit towards the door. Taking a deep breath, Buffy reached for the handle, "Ready?" she asked the gang, who nodded their agreement. Pulling the door open, Buffy scanned the sunlit deck for any signs of danger. Buffy was thankful that Faith wasn't as lucky as she was to have a loyal and faithful group of friends to look out for her. "Good thing pirates are dumb!" she giggled as they stood in the doorway waiting for their eyes to adjust to the bright light.

As Buffy took her first cautious steps onto the deck, she spun defensively at a sharp sound above and behind her, the movement scaring a seagull that had been perching on the wheel. "Mine!" she squawked at it before giggling.

"Buff, I don't think we have time for pop culture fun!" Xander chastised quickly. Rolling her eyes playfully, the slayer continued to scan the deck for any signs of the remaining pirates. "It's weird, there's no one here!" Buffy announced after she'd taken another quick look around.

"Excellent, then lets get the hell outta here!" Willow exclaimed suddenly, making them all startle visibly.

Stretching and squinting against the bright light, the Scoobies each took there own look around to satisfy their rapidly growing nervousness. "This isn't right." Tara whispered, she had been the last to leave the dingy room in which they had all been held captive and, after stepping into the light, felt instantly uneasy.

As she scanned the deck, her eyes fell on the mast, then the deck surrounding it, the wood darkened with blood, her blood and who knew who else's. The lashing she had received at Faiths hand flashed back through her mind, the sound of leather whistling through the air before coming into contact with her soft and blood stained back echoing in her mind.

Buffy had climbed up to the helm and was peering comically through a telescope she had found there. "Its 'Solo Dreams'!" she announced making everyone jump once again. "I see our boat!"

Turning in unison, the Scoobies hurriedly shushed the excited blonde. "Buffy, I think it's wise if you keep your voice to a minimum, we are still unsure as to the whereabouts of the remaining pirates." Giles told her firmly as he climbed up to the helm to retrieve the telescope from his young charge.

As the rest of the group made their way to Buffy's side, no one, not even Willow noticed that Tara wasn't directly behind them. "We can go home!" Willow breathed happily as she reached the helm and got her first glimpse of the boat, "Tara, we can go…." her words trailed off into nothing as she turned and saw the space behind her to be void of her beloved. "Tara?" she called, rushing back down to the deck. "TARA!" she screamed when she received no reply.

The others followed her lead and rushed back to the deck, each one searching and finding no sign of the blonde witch. As Willow pushed the door to their temporary prison open once again, the sight before her chilled her to her very soul. Faith had somehow managed to escape her spell induced freeze and her shackles and now held Tara in her grasp. One hand firmly gripping the blondes throat, slowly closing down her airway. Tara struggled but seemed to only make things worse and, on seeing Willow, allowed herself to relax slightly. "Now Red, it's time you pay for slapping me!" she snarled as she shook Tara violently.


	12. Chapter 12

Buffy took a step towards the rogue slayer and Faith instantly tightened her grip on Tara's neck. "Now, now B, that's not a good idea!" she spat, forcing Buffy to return to her place.

"Faith, let her go now!" Willow growled, she could feel her eyes darkening with fury as the magicks coursed through her veins and crackled at the tips of her fingers.

"Willow." Giles whispered, placing a heavy hand gently on her shoulder, "You should calm down."

Faith seemed blissfully unaware of the danger she was in and laughed heartily at the furious redhead. "Don't worry British man, Red's gonna behave!" she told him, her self confidence and arrogance only serving to infuriate the Scoobies further. "Aren't ya Red!" She shook Tara viciously and Willow stepped back as Tara yelped, her face a deep and angry red. "Now, this is what's gonna happen!" Faith continued. "You will all sit down nicely and behave yourselves while me and Red and Blondie here have a little…" she paused briefly. "conversation!"

When no one made any effort to follow her instruction, Faith tightened her grip on Tara's throat further, causing the blonde to gasp as tears trickled slowly from the corner of her eyes.

"Guys, sit down." Willow said slowly, she knew that she could be endangering the entire group but seeing Tara this way was more than she could bear.

"That's better." Faith grinned. "Now Red, you and me are gonna go up on deck and have a little discussion, as it appears that we are out of the triangle, I'm taking Blondie here as a little insurance, y'know in case you have an ideas about being a hero!" she spat the remainder of her sentence at the rest of the group and they all sat heavily, plans, ideas and ways to help Tara all ran through their minds.

Faith brushed past Willow as she made her way out on deck, unfortunately for her, the brief contact gave Willow and Tara the opportunity they needed to join hands. "Solvere!" Willow snarled and Faith shot backwards, landing heavily on her butt in the centre of the deck. Toppling forward into Willow, Tara gasped for breath and began rubbing her neck.

"Buffy, guys, get out here!" Willow yelled as she stepped towards the rogue slayer menacingly. "So, you want to play rough uh?" she asked as she began circling the slayer who had once again found her feet. As she came to stand by a barrel, Willow noticed a long bull whip and reached out for it. "I believe this is more your thing though." she smiled sweetly as she took her first crack of the whip. "How about we see how much you enjoy being beaten?!"

Tears stung the corners of Willows eyes as she remembered the horrific punishment Faith had bestowed upon her girlfriend.

Behind her, the rest of the Scoobies had gathered in the doorway and were watching the scene unfold before then in terrified fascination. "Willow, this isn't the way!" Buffy called out to her.

"No B, let her have a go if she thinks she can." Faith told her arrogantly, "I've been dying to give Red here a good beating."

Before she had a chance to say anything else, the whip whistled past her head, grazing her ear on its return.

"Shut up Faith!" Willow snapped, her eyes filling with obsidian fury before cracking the whip in her direction once again. This time the firm leather found its mark and left a deep bloody trail across Faiths cheek.

Behind the redhead, Tara gently put her hand over Willows, releasing her grip on the whip and pulling her into a warm, loving hug. Before the whip had even hit the floor, Buffy and Xander charged Faith, dropping her to the floor and securing her hands firmly behind her back. "It's time you answered to your actions!" Giles told her.

"Sorry British man, but you got nothing on me!" Faith told him, her voice full of mocking. "We're out of the triangle. You can't prove a thing!" she sneered.

"Wrong again Faith!" Willow told her, "We can do anything, the scars can be there!" she winked and Tara turned her back reluctantly on the slayer so Willow could pull her shirt up. Revealing the silky smooth expanse of Tara's well muscled back, Faith laughed heartily "See, she's clean, unmarked! You got…." Faith choked on her words as the deep and angry marks of her beating appeared over the young woman's back.

As they bundled Faith back aboard 'Solo Dreams' Giles and Xander returned to the helm. "Take us home, G-man!" Xander sighed as he dropped into the seat at Giles' side. "I think that's for you to do!" Giles smiled warmly as he turned the key within the ignition and the boat coughed and started first time. Turning the boat in the general direction of land, Xander gunned the throttle and the group, along with their new captive raced towards dry land.

Willow, Tara and Buffy secured Faith into one of the cabins with a mixture of magic and force before Willow and Tara returned to the deck. Giles was radioing the events that had transpired over the past few days and requesting that the police be ready for when they drew into the dock. "Is everything well?" he asked after replacing the radio and noticing the witches on deck. Nodding, neither one spoke but went to sit at the bow and watch the waves break as they raced through the ocean.

Xander smiled sadly, both women had been through so much back in Sunnydale and this trip was meant to be a relaxing get away for everyone but he knew that Willow and Tara needed time away from the chaos of the Hellmouth to try and rebuild everything that they had suffered. Whatever had happened between them aboard the 'Occisor ab Castimonia' certainly been a bonding experience and he wondered if it would drive the pair farther apart.

After an hour or so of sailing in silence, Tara got up and vanished below deck leaving Willow to gaze out over the ocean. Sadness filled Xander and he gestured to Giles to take over before jumping down onto the deck and assuming the place that Tara had just occupied. "You ok?" he asked solemnly. Turning her head to face him, Willow grinned.

"I'm all kinds of the best good!" she told him, the sparkle in her eyes proving that she wasn't hiding anything.

Frowning slightly, Xanders gaze followed the path that Tara had taken before he turned back to the redhead who was giggling quietly. "She went to fix a good sized lunch!" she told him.

In all the chaos and uncertainty of the past couple of days, Xander had almost completely forgotten that they hadn't had a decent meal but the reminder made his stomach growl noisily.

Tara reappeared and Xander rushed to her aid, relieving her of a large tray of baguettes and placing them on the table that Willow had just set up. As soon as he placed the huge tray on the table, he turned quickly and took Tara's face in his hands and kissed her loudly on the forehead. "You're the greatest, Tara!" he cheered, "Hey Giles?" he yelled up to the helm, "Tara made food!"

In a heartbeat, Giles was at the table with them, leaving the boat floating within sight of land.

Buffy appeared and lifted a can of soda. Breathing a sigh of relief as she saw land, she lifted a can of soda and took a long drink. The only sounds around them were the gentle breaking of waves against the side of the boat and the occasional seagull. "To friendship!" the slayer toasted, lifting her can high in the air. "Friendship!" the others cheered.

Giles returned to the helm in silence and started the boat once again to take them all back to the normality of the Hellmouth and Sunnydale.


End file.
